Evaluation of Victorian Data Linkages

The Victorian Data Linkages (VDL) initiative is funded jointly by the Victorian state government through the Department of Business and Innovation (DBI) and the Australian Government, through the Population Health Research Network (PHRN) program within the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR). VDL is situated within the Department of Health and is responsible for providing similar data linkage infrastructure in Victoria as exists – or is being developed – in other Australian jurisdictions through the PHRN.

In 2010, darcy associates was engaged by the Department of Health to design an evaluation framework for VDL that could be used for three specific purposes, namely:

1. Tracking the establishment of the VDL initiative to ensure all components of the system are set up optimally from the outset;
2. Providing a tool for continual quality improvement throughout the life of the initiative; and
3. Serving as the basis for regular reporting to funding and auspicing agencies.

A major component of the project involved design of specific performance indicators, including the development of detailed indicator specifications, which can be used by the VDL for ongoing quality improvement and quality assurance. A program logic model approach was used for the design of the indicators.